- November 27, 2024
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Seabreeze will host South Lake at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Class 3A regional quarterfinals.
BY ANDREW O'BRIEN | SPORTS EDITOR
ORMOND BEACH — Just hours after winning the District 6-3A boys soccer championship Jan. 24, Seabreeze players were eating a celebratory dinner at Houligan’s.
Then Jordan Bowling fell out of his chair.
“We went really hard — probably harder than we have ever gone — and I fell out of my chair with a hamstring cramp,” Bowling said Sunday.
It was nearly midnight, but there they were: eating food and stretching out cramps. One-hundred minutes of hard-fought soccer and a district title comes at a cost.
Seabreeze (13-0-3) rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat Matanzas, 2-1, in sudden-death penalty kicks. The Sandcrabs head into the state playoffs without a loss in 16 games.
“It was the worst cramp ever,” Bowling said. “Justin Merkel fell out of his chair, too.”
Bowling, one of Seabreeze's 16 seniors, still didn't have words on Saturday — 12 hours after his team tasted victory. But he said this season — which he insists is far from over — is the best in his four years.
“Everybody is playing for each other, and the underclassmen are playing for the seniors,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade this season or my teammates for anything, and it’s not over yet.”
Matanzas (16-3-5) came into the game with only two losses, both of which were to Seabreeze during the regular season.
The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the 17th minute on a goal that came off a free kick. The ball bounced inside Seabreeze’s box, and then Matanzas’ Faruh Isakov poked his head at the ball and sent it into the back of the net.
From there, Seabreeze battled. They had plenty of scoring chances but couldn’t string together the final pass to bag the equalizing goal.
But with about 13 minutes left on the clock, a low cross came into the Matanzas box, and Jordan Collins got on the other end of it, rifling the ball into the back of the net.
The two teams battled for another 13 minutes to end regular time at 1-1. For another 20 minutes of golden-goal extra time, neither team could score the winning goal.
After 100 minutes of soccer, the game headed to penalty kicks. Matanzas converted its first PK, and Collins, who was Seabreeze’s hero, clanked his off the post.
With Matanzas ahead 4-3, Joey Garro stepped up to seal the win and the championship for the Pirates. Seabreeze keeper Jack Zimbelman had different plans, though. He saved it, and then Bowling buried his, making it 4-4 to send the game into sudden-death PKs.
Both teams made the first two PKs in sudden death. Then, on Matanzas’ third, Zimbelman sprawled out and made the save. Alex Ortolani converted his for the Sandcrabs, and pandemonium ensued. Fans charged the field and players tackled each other in celebration.
“For the most part, all of us have been playing together since elementary school, so there’s a special bond between us,” Bowling said. “There’s no one superstar.”
As the clock neared midnight, Bowling watched as his teammates stretched and smiled and celebrated. That family bond includes stretching out each other’s cramps in the middle of a restaurant.
HEADED TO STATES
Seabreeze will host South Lake at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Class 3A regional quarterfinals.
South Lake comes into the game at 13-4-4, according to maxpreps.com. The Eagles lost to Lake Minneola, 3-2, in the District 5-3A championship.
